National
President, PM Sheikh Hasina, Bhutanese King Honor Liberation War Martyrs on 54th Independence Day
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid heartfelt tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by laying wreaths at the National Martyrs’ Memorial on the outskirts of the capital early this morning, marking the 54th Independence and National Day.
Accompanying them, Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, currently on a four-day official visit to Bangladesh at the special invitation of President Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the 54th Independence Day celebrations, also honored the Liberation War heroes by placing a wreath at 5:57 am.
In a solemn ceremony, the President led by placing the first wreath at the memorial altar around 5:56 am, followed by the Prime Minister and then the Bhutanese King.
Bhutan holds a significant place in Bangladesh’s history as the first country to recognize its independence on December 6, 1971. After 11 years, King Wangchuck, accompanied by his wife, visited Dhaka to partake in Bangladesh’s Independence Day festivities.
After the wreath-laying ceremony, a moment of profound silence was observed by the President, the Prime Minister, and the Bhutanese King as a mark of respect for the martyrs of the Great War of Liberation in 1971. Meanwhile, a smartly turned-out contingent from the Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force rendered a state salute, accompanied by the solemn sound of bugles playing the last post.
Following the ceremony, the Head of State, the Head of Government, and the Bhutanese King and Queen Jetsun Pema penned their respects in the visitors’ book placed on the memorial premises.
Flanked by her party leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of the Bangladesh Awami League, paid glowing tributes to the Liberation War martyrs by laying another wreath at the National Memorial on behalf of her party.
A diverse assembly including representatives from the parliament, the judiciary, ministers, advisers, senior politicians, leaders of the AL-led 14-party alliance, members of parliament, valiant freedom fighters, chiefs of the armed forces, diplomats, representatives of different development partners, and high-ranking civil and military officials gathered to honor the occasion.
Each year, March 26 serves as a poignant reminder of one of history’s darkest episodes, marking a nine-month bloody struggle that began on the night of March 25, 1971, culminating in the long-awaited independence on December 16 of the same year, attained at a great cost.
In response to the military crackdown by the then Pakistan occupation force, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh through the East Pakistan Rifles wireless at 00:30 hours on March 26, 1971, from his historic residence at Road-32 in Dhanmondi.
This day holds profound significance and sentiment for the Bengali Nation, commemorating its hard-fought journey towards freedom and sovereignty.
Leaders of the quota reform movement have resolutely refused to negotiate with the government, insisting that their movement will persist until their demands are met.
In a Facebook post, Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the movement, declared, “No discussion through stepping onto blood.”
Asif Mahmud, another prominent leader, echoed this sentiment, stating, “There can be no dialogue with bullets. I would prefer death over this betrayal.”
He further elaborated, “On one side, there are bullets. On the other, there is a call for dialogue. We can’t sit for dialogue while stepping onto the blood of our brothers.”
Earlier, leaders of the quota reform movement accused the government of escalating the law and order situation towards violence, asserting that their movement was peaceful until the government’s intervention.
Vowing to continue their struggle, Asif Mahmud stated, “We will continue our protests till we achieve our demands for reformation of the quota system, reopening of the halls and campuses, making university campuses terror-free, withdrawing political forces from the campuses, and punishing the killers and attackers.”
He added, “The people of the country have encircled those who tried to corner us. No conspiracy will be able to derail our movement.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged both local and international investors to invest in the extraction of marine resources from Bangladesh’s extensive sea areas.
“In order to fortify the blue economy through the diverse utilization of our marine resources, I call upon local and foreign investors to seize the opportunity to invest in Bangladesh. This will enable us to harness more of our marine resources,” she announced.
The Prime Minister made these remarks during the inauguration of the Bangladesh International Aquaculture and Seafood Show-2024 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka.
She emphasized the importance of adhering to proper standards in the collection, distribution, and processing of fish to boost exports, aiming to make fish the country’s second-largest source of foreign currency.
Sheikh Hasina pointed out that her government has made limited progress in harvesting fish and other sea resources from the deep sea due to a lack of interest from local investors.
“Therefore, we need foreign investment to advance in this area. This is the reality we must face,” she noted.
She also suggested that both local and foreign investors can collaborate in joint ventures or invest separately in this sector to achieve better results.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate and moderately heavy rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across all eight divisions of the country over the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
In its weather bulletin issued this morning, the BMD stated, “Light to moderate rain or thundershowers with temporary gusty wind is expected in a few places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Additionally, one or two places in Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, and Barisal divisions may experience similar conditions, with moderately heavy falls anticipated at several locations in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions.”
The bulletin also highlighted that the current mild heat wave sweeping across the Rangpur division and the districts of Tangail, Chuadanga, Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra, and Netrokona may persist.
Daytime temperatures are expected to rise slightly, while nighttime temperatures are likely to remain nearly unchanged throughout the country.
On Wednesday, the highest recorded temperature was 36.7 degrees Celsius, observed in Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Rajarhat. The lowest temperature recorded today was 26.0 degrees Celsius, noted in Bandarban and Teknaf.
Over the last 24 hours, rainfall amounted to 16 mm in Bandarban.
For the capital, the sun will set at 6:48 pm today and rise at 5:21 am tomorrow.
